UART 2023 Online Pastel Competition

Welcome to the UART 2023 Online Pastel Competition

Our annual 2023 Online Pastel Competition is now officially open. With over $6,000 in cash and prizes, UART’s Pastel Competition is one of the biggest pastel competitions in the country.
This year’s competition will be juried by Desmond O’ Hagan.
The competition will close on June 7th, 2023. At the end of the competition, only 50 paintings will be selected and officially accepted into the show and will be posted. Winners will be announced on June 22nd, 2023.
The competition is open to all pastel artists in the world. Paintings have to be done on UART paper. Please make sure to follow the rules before submitting your paintings online.
View the winners

Prizes

1st Place

  • $1,500 cash
  • “PanPastel Choice of 15 Colors” gift certificate (valued at $125) Includes a Sofft Tools Starter Set and palette tray
  • $100 Gift Certificate to Blick
  • 10 UART 12×18 Sheets
  • 1 UART 12×16 Mounted Board
  • 1 UART 9×12 Pad
  • UART Apron & UART t-shirt

Winning artwork will be displayed on UART website’s homepage and on our social media platforms

2nd Place

  • $750 cash
  • $75 Gift Certificate to Blick
  • 10 UART 12×18 Sheets
  • 1 UART 9×12 Pad
  • UART Apron & UART t-shirt

3rd Place

  • $500 Cash
  • $50 Gift Certificate to Blick
  • 10 UART 12×18 Sheets
  • 1 UART 9×12 Pad
  • UART Apron & UART t-shirt

UART Award

  • $300 cash
  • 10 UART 12×18 Sheets
  • 10 UART Dark 9×12 Sheets
  • 1 12”x16” Mounted Board
  • 1 9×12 Pad (10 sheets)
  • UART Apron, UART t-shirt & UART Ceramic Coffee Mug

Terry Ludwig Award

  • $250 Terry Ludwig Gift Certificate
  • $100 cash
  • 10 UART 12×18 Sheets
  • 1 9×12 Pad (10 sheets)
  • UART Apron & UART t-shirt

Honorable Mentions (5)

  • $50 Cash
  • 1 pack of 10 UART 12”x18” sheets
  • 1 UART Apron & UART t-shirt
View the winners

Juror

Juror

Desmond O'Hagan

Desmond O'Hagan enjoys working in several media, but his primary focus is pastels and oils.  Constantly challenging himself has translated into a fulfilling career in fine art encompassing several one-man shows and participation in group exhibitions in the United States, Japan, China, Canada, and France. O’Hagan has achieved “Eminent Pastelist” status with the International Association of Pastel Societies and is a member of their “Masters Circle.”  He is also a Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America and is listed in Who’s Who in American Art. O’Hagan has won several awards in national and international exhibits including IAPS convention exhibit’s Prix’d Pastel Award and “Southwest Art” magazine’s Award of Excellence (twice) at the “Windows to the Divine” Exhibitions in Denver, CO.  He has also won the George Innes, Jr. Memorial Award from the Salmagundi Club in New York City. His paintings have been the subject of feature articles in numerous national and international magazines including The Pastel JournalAmerican Art Collector, Southwest Art, The Artist Magazine, International Artist, American Artist, United Airlines’ Hemispheres magazine, Pratique Des Arts (France), Artists and Illustrators (England), International Artist (Australia), and Gekkan Bijyutsu (Japan).  O'Hagan's art is also included in five books, and he is represented by galleries in Santa Fe, NM, Denver, CO, and Isle of Palms, SC.

COMPETITION'S RULES

The contest is open to pastel artists over the age of 16 all over the world. Please read carefully to make sure your work meets the following entry requirements. Failure to follow the rules will eliminate your entries from the competition. All submissions have to be done on UART paper.

  1. Works must be done on UART paper only. Works not done on UART paper will be removed from the competition and no refund will be made.
  2. Works must be done in dry or oil pastel. Works including mixed media have to be 80% dry or oil pastels.
  3. Work must be original, not copied from other artists. You can use someone else's photo as a reference.
  4. All work must have been created within the last 12 months. Works that have been submitted on previous UART pastel competitions will be removed and no refund will be made
  5. Fees are as follow: - $25 for first submission - $10 for each additional submission - No limits on submissions - Fees are non-refundable. Please make sure to double check art before uploading. - Please upload all your pictures at once to take advantage of the $10 additional price.
  6. Please pay close attention to providing us with the correct title to your paintings. When uploading several pictures at once, please make sure to add the right title to the right painting and add the surface used, for example: UART 400.
View the winners

Sponsors